AUTHOR’S NOTE: I borrowed the Rolling Stones’ album title for dramatic effect, but this post has nothing to do with it.

I’ve wanted a piece of my tattooist daughter’s body art for several years, but until recently she was living and working in Wilmington, North Carolina and our occasional visits didn’t present an opportunity to sit (well, lie down) for a tat. Now that she’s located just over an hour away and operating out of Portland, Maine, I decided to go for it.

I had been looking for something tarot-themed and settled on an adaptation of the card-back image from Ricardo Cavolo’s Tarot del Fuego but without the vibrant colors, so she suggested some dotwork fill to embellish it. (Note that the purple tint is from the stencil and will wash off.) Now I can be a walking billboard for the deck (but only when I’m wearing shorts). One could say that I don’t just own the Tarot del Fuego, I now embody it.

A friend asked why I picked it and what it means to me. I started thinking about that right after I chose it and currently interpret the design as representing the four classical elements of Empedocles: the flames are Fire; the heart is Water; the eye is Air; and the “landscape” (i.e. skin) is Earth. It can also be loosely related to the Celtic triskellion of Mind, Body and Spirit in the form of eye, heart and flames, respectively.

For those who are thinking about getting one, I can’t recommend having it put on the back of the calf because the pain made me think of the ancient Chinese punishment “death by a thousand cuts.” But if you can imagine numerous bee-stings rather than strokes of a torturer’s blade you’ll get a better idea of what I’m talking about. Other areas of the body are less sensitive, so rely on the artist’s advice if you decide to do it.